Chapter 21
"Are you out of your mind?" Damon snarled, a knife clutched in his fist. "You can't!"
"Damon−" Elena pleaded.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Sweetheart," Elena said, her voice calm, her hand resting on his arm. "It's no big deal."
"No big deal?"
"No," Elena smiled, trying to turn Damon's attention away from the blond he was glaring at. "No big deal."
"She's screwing it up, Elena!" Damon barked. "Tell her to step away from the chili!"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Tell him to stop freaking out like a little girl over some cream."
"Chili is supposed to be sizzling hot, Barbie! You're turning it into soup with beans!"
"Not everyone in the room has Vampire taste buds, Damon," Caroline snapped.
"The girl has a point," Matt jumped in, grabbing another beer from the fridge. "I'd like to be able to taste something after this."
"And you don't want to burn your girl's tongue off," Tyler said, wrapping his arms around Caroline's waist.
Damon relaxed a little, but Elena knew he hated this. After spending most of his life alone, he was still getting used to having this many people around him. He was doing his best, though and Elena loved him for it. After all, when they'd gotten together, she was sure he hadn't counted on having her friends over all the time and yet, he'd never complained. Not once.
"It would be a shame to lose that tongue," Damon gave in, smiling, lifting Elena up until she sat down on the counter. "I love that tongue."
Elena snickered as Damon leaned in and kissed her, his tongue softly caressing hers.
"OK, OK," a warm voice laughed before Damon's side was nudged, causing him to break the kiss. "Not before dinner. We still have to eat."
Damon shot Stefan an fake, annoyed look. "Have I told you how glad I am your back, brother?"
"It's implied," Stefan sang, chopping up another pepper to balance out the cream. "And speaking of implying things: isn't Bonnie coming? She never misses Saturday Cooking Extravaganzas."
"She said she'd be a little late," Elena answered, her fingers still entwined behind Damon's neck. "She had something witchy to do with her Gran."
"Oh," Caroline whispered, stirring the chili. "I'm sure she had something to do alright."
Matt, Tyler, Stefan and Damon exchanged a look, their lips pulling up slightly. Elena, however, wasn't amused.
"Shut up, Caroline!" she shrieked, her stomach turning. "He's my brother! My baby brother!"
"Hate to break it to you, but he hasn't been a baby in quite a while," Matt said, taking another gulp from his beer.
"He is to me!"
"OK," Caroline said, lifting the huge pot of chili. "I think we better start eating before Elena blows."
"I don't know," Damon started, his eyes growing a shade darker. "I kinda like it when Elena−"
"Ewwwww!"
"Come on man!"
"Not cool!"
"Shut up!"
After giving her a quick kiss on her blushing cheek, Damon helped the others set the table.
A feeling of pure and utter bliss overwhelmed her as she watched her friends and Damon work together, smiling, joking around. Everything had finally turned out right. The man she loved had been accepted by her friends and vice versa and to everyone's surprise, the two worlds blended together perfectly. Her life was complete now. Perfect. After everything she'd been through, after all the people she'd lost, she could finally see a future again. With her family.
Damon.
Matt.
Caroline.
Tyler.
Stefan.
Bonnie.
Jeremy.
And off course Jenna.
She finally believed she could have it. Have it all.
"Hey, Gilbert," Stefan rumbled, holding up his hands. "Are you coming or what?"
Elena's eyes snapped open, immediately tearing up when she realized it hadn't been real.
That it could never be real.
It was too late.
Too late…
Panicking, Elena shot up from she was lying on the couch, the warmth from the fire enveloping her like a blanket. The fact that she hadn't slept all weekend had caught up with her. At the worst time possible.
Her heart racing, her gaze shot to the window. The dark window. It was already night. But what time a night?
For the first time, she cursed the fact that Damon didn't have any clocks in the living room. Something about being a vampire didn't require having to keep time. After all, vampires had all the time in the world. Her, on the other hand…
"Damon?" she whispered, her heart thundering.
What if she was too late? What if she'd slept past midnight? What if Hertz had already started killing everyone she loved? What if he'd already killed−
"DAMON?"
She heard glass shatter somewhere and then, he was in front of her, on his knees, his warm hands cupping her cheek.
"Hey," he rumbled. "What's wrong?"
Elena just stared at him, relief washing over her. He was OK. Damon was OK.
Before she could stop herself, she was hugging him, her nails digging into his black shirt, her nose buried in his neck, breathing him in. God, she was going to miss that smell. She was going to miss him. Even though she wasn't sure there was an afterlife, she believed in her soul and her soul would always know something was missing, her soul would forever mourn losing Damon.
"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked, his hands softly running up and down her spine.
No. I had the most perfect dream. I'm in the nightmare.
"What time is it?"
Damon pulled back, checking his watch. "Eight."
Four hours? I slept away four hours of my last moments with Damon?
She could feel a tear slither down her nose, a tear Damon quickly wiped away.
"Love," he whispered, his blue eyes worriedly on hers. "What's wrong? You've been acting strange ever since I picked you up from school. Did something happen?"
That's an understatement if I ever heard one.
"No," she said, trying to pull off a sincere smile. "Nothing happened."
Damon knew her too well, though. He could see right through her.
"Sweetheart," he whispered, his voice kind, warm. "Don't do that."
Her smile dropped, giving up on the façade.
"Nothing's wrong," she whispered back. "I promise."
"Then why not tell me what's bothering you?"
"Because you can't fix it."
As soon as it was out of her mouth, she regretted it. She hadn't meant to say that. She couldn't tip him off. He couldn't know about Hertz. Not under any circumstance.
"Are you underestimating me, Gilbert?" Damon sang, trying to lighten the mood.
"No," she sang back, a sincere smile on her lips. "Never."
"Then tell me."
"God," Elena laughed, her fingers hooking into his shirt. "You're like Caroline. Relentless."
Damon shook his head, one side of his lips pulling up in a weak smile. "Love, when are you going to admit that you miss your friends?"
That's what he thought was wrong? That's why he thought she was acting strange? Good.
"Sweetheart, I know I said this before," Damon continued. "But if you're shunning them on my behave, don't. I know you think that if you forgive them, if you forgive Bonnie, you'll somehow choose a side, but that's bull. I know you're on my side. Always. And, more importantly, I'm on yours. Always. Which means, I want what's best for you. And your friends are what's best for you."
"I know."
"So," he said, reaching into her pocket to grab her cellphone. "Call them."
Swallowing hard, she stared at the phone in his hand. The truth is, she wanted nothing more than call them, meet up with them, make everything right before it was too late. But she couldn't. Hertz had made it perfectly clear that she had to act normal and he wouldn't appreciate a sudden reunion with her friends. Not to mention that she was already having trouble hiding her fear from Damon, let alone from all of her friends. They would see something was wrong. They would see she was hiding something. And she couldn't have that.
"I can't call them. Not tonight."
"Elena−"
"Tomorrow," she said, her stomach knotting together. "I'll call them tomorrow. We'll have dinner with them. Make everything alright. OK?"
Damon nodded. "OK, if that's what you want."
Elena smiled again, shaking her head.
"What?" he asked, smiling too.
"I thought you were an ass, you know. For months. When I was still with Stefan."
"I know," he said, his fingers running through her silk hair. "You told me so repeatedly."
"I can't believe I was that blind," she said, letting her own fingers roam over his skin. "I can't believe I didn't love you right from the start."
"If it's any consolation, I thought you were a stuck up goody two-shoes."
She laughed, pinching his side. "That doesn't make me feel better at all!"
"Well, I tried," he sang, scooting onto the couch beside her, moving her so her legs were on his lap. At once, a memory pushed to the front of her mind, the memory of her first, real talk with Damon, the memory of the first time she knew there was more to Damon Salvatore than met the eye.
"This is where I knew you weren't an ass, you know," Elena said, watching the flames dance on his sculpted face. "This is where I knew I was in trouble."
Damon wiggled his eyebrows, his blue eyes sparkling. "Found me irresistible, did you?"
"Actually, yes," she sang, smiling at the memory. "I did."
"You weren't looking too bad, either."
"Wow," Elena snickered. "You're really showering me with compliments today, aren't you."
Growling, Damon grabbed Elena's calves and pulled her on his lap, his lips crashing into hers as soon as she was in his reach. His tongue twirled around hers, tasting her, savoring her. His fingers threaded in her hair, gluing her head in its place, gluing her lips to his. She could feel his hand slipping up her shirt, feel her heart race, feel her body throb all over.
When he finally released her lips, her lunges expanded painfully. She hated that she needed to breath. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like to make out with Damon without her human, physical limitation.
And she would never know.
"I wanted to do that as soon as I saw you that night," he breathed, his nose caressing hers. "In that black tank top and those very, very tight hot pants."
Elena ran her fingers over his scruffy jaw, pressing sweet kisses to his throat. "When did you know you wanted more than just sex? When did you know you loved me?"
"When I thought I lost you."
"Which time?" Elena snickered, not picking up on his suddenly heavier mood.
"I heard you call my name and I knew there was a chance I'd be too late," he continued, the muscles in his neck tensing underneath her lips. "I found you under two minutes, but that were the longest minutes of my life. For the first time since I'd turned into a vampire, I found myself praying. Praying for you to be alright. To be alive. Still, I knew there was a chance I would find you dead. So−and I never admitted this to you or myself afterwards−I started thinking up back-up plans."
An eerie feeling creeping up her spine, Elena pulled back, watching him closely as she whispered, "Back-up plans?"
"Pissing off Stefan just enough he'd snap. Pissing off Bonnie. Taking a stroll in the park at noon without my ring. Maybe−"
Elena clasped her hand over his mouth, needing him to stop. Her heart couldn't hear anymore. "Damon, no."
His blue eyes warm, he sweetly peeled her hand from his lips.
"I couldn't do it without you," he said, his fingers tracing her collarbone. "I still can't do it without you−"
"Hey," she whimpered. "No."
He just smiled. But there was nothing even remotely funny about his words. Damon couldn't link his life to hers. He needed to go on if something happened to her, needed to live out the rest of his life, find happiness, make up with his brother, fall in love again. He couldn't just give up if she was gone.
When she was gone.
After all, she already had one foot out of the door.
"Damon," she said in a stronger voice. "I'm serious. You can't think like that."
"Love, I lived my entire life for myself. Alone. Angry. It's nice to have someone I'd die for now."
"No," she pleaded, her eyes begging him. "You're more than just me, Damon."
He rolled his eyes.
"You are."
"Without you, I'm nothing more than genes and we both know, I don't have the best ones."
"You're wrong."
"About what?"
"You," Elena said, casting him a sweet smile. "You think you're the product of your father's cruelty. You think you're a monster, just like him."
Damon opened his mouth to speak, but Elena cut him off by saying. "Don't. Don't try to convince me that you are a monster. You're not. You're kind. You love. And that sounds a lot more like your mother than your father."
The way her brown eyes looked at him in that moment, the love, trust and warmth radiating out of them, made Damon's heart swell. It were in moments like this, that Damon truly saw the extent of her love for him. She told him every day, but to be told something and to actually see it radiating off the person you love the most in the world, was the stuff of dreams. Dreams Damon had never allowed himself to believe in before. Dreams she'd made come true by having faith in him, by believing in the man in him.
"So," Elena sang, stroking the strand of hair in his neck. "On to lighter subjec−"
"Marry me."
For a moment, Elena couldn't do anything but stare at him, her jaw slackening under his blue, waiting gaze.
"What?" Elena finally grated out.
"Marry me," he rumbled again.
Elena shook her head, opening and closing her mouth a few times before whispering, "You're just saying that in the heat of the moment. You don't mean−"
Before she could say another word, he reached in the pocket of the leather jacket that hung over the couch and pulled out a little box, opening it in front of her widening eyes, revealing a beautiful, perfect ring. A ring with a Lapis Lazuli stone in the center and a Salvatore crest to finish the whole thing off. She was going to be part of his family, she was going to be a Salvatore and he wanted everyone to know.
"Does that look like a heat of the moment thing?" he asked, smiling at her perplexed expression.
Elena opened her mouth again, her eyes sparkling. And then, suddenly, the spark in her eyes vanished completely. Instead, he could've sworn he saw sadness creeping back into her gaze.
"I've had this made a week after you moved in. I was waiting for the right moment−" Damon continued, taking the ring out of its black box. "−but the truth is, every moment with you is the right moment."
Slowly, he reached for her hand and held it in his, the ring clutched between his free fingers.
"Damon," she whispered, shaking her head. "I can't−"
"Elena Gilbert," he said like she hadn't spoken. "You are the most beautiful, kind-hearted, strong, stubborn woman I've ever met. You're the only one on this earth who can drive me crazy and calm me down at the same time. You are my Salvatore, my Savior, and it would be my honor if you'd spend the rest of eternity with me."
Her eyes watered up as she watched him slip the ring on her finger.
"Elena Gilbert," he asked, smiling. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes," she whimpered, a few tears escaping her eyes. "God, yes!"
And then she was kissing him, passionately, like there was no tomorrow.
"I take it you like the ring" he said as she released his lips to breath.
She stared at her new piece of jewelry, touching the crest, her eyebrows turning down into a deep frown.
"What?" Damon asked, tracing the wrinkle between her brows.
Elena looked up again, her eyes determined now, her voice stronger than before when she said, "Damon, I have to tell you something. Hertz−"
"−is still around. I know," he interrupted. "And I know we agreed we wouldn't talk about the future again until we've dealt with him."
Elena shook her head, about to say something else when Damon said, "And I know we'll have to deal with a lot of people who are not going to be thrilled about our engagement, but they'll come around. Bonnie, Caroline, Jenna, Jeremy−"
"Jeremy." Elena's eyes dropped back to her ring. "Right."
"He'll be fine."
"Yeah," Elena mumbled. "He will be."
"Everything will be fine."
Elena nodded, a little smile pulling at her lips when she whispered, "Kiss me."
"If I must."
He smiled until their lips met and her smell overtook his senses. Rumbling into her mouth, Damon pressed Elena's body closer to his, feeling her heath seep through his shirt.
"God, you feel good," Elena moaned, moving so she straddled him.
Damon growled, his nails trailing down her arms.
"But," she grated, her voice raw with unsatisfied want. "As much as I would love to continue where we left off this morning−"
"−and noon−"
"−this is about to become a threesome and if memory serves, you're not a big fan of threesomes ."
Damon cast her a confused look.
"Alaric's on his way."
"Now?"
"He'll be here soon," she said, caressing his neck." Too soon."
"Why?"
"He pulled me aside after class, told me he missed his friend−"
"Alaric?" Damon growled. "That doesn't sound like him."
"Well, he didn't say it in so many words, but it was obvious and I felt guilty. I mean, we have been pretty caught up in each other. When was the last time we left the house, other than to take me to school?"
Damon shrugged. "I prefer to spend my time with you."
"So do I," Elena admitted. "But your friend misses you and I know something about missing friends, so, I told him you'd grab a drink with him tonight."
"Call him," Damon rumbled, his nails trailing up her legs now, something he knew drove her crazy. "Cancel."
Elena swallowed hard, her own nails digging deeper into his chest. "I can't. He'd be disappointed. Plus, he's probably already on his way. He should be here in ten minutes."
"I can make you come twice in that time."
A little moan floated of her lips. "Stop it."
"Make me."
"Thank God Alaric's not the punctual-type," Damon growled as Elena fell down on his chest, breathing heavily against his damp skin.
Elena smiled, looking up into his blue eyes. "There's something seriously wrong with us, you know. We have no self control."
"Fun, isn't it," he rumbled, doing that eye-thing he did.
She laughed, her body satisfied, her mind peacefully silent.
She didn't want to think.
Not yet.
"You can still call and cancel," he said, his fingers sifting through her hair. "We could stay here forever, like we planned, remember? Right here, on the floor, I promised you we'd never move from our spot."
She did remember. How could she forget? It was the first night they'd made love. Not a quickie in the library, but an all-consuming collision of pure love.
"Remind me why we ended up leaving," he rumbled, kissing her forehead. "What happened?"
It wasn't an actual question, but she answered anyway. "Life," she whispered, her mind catching up to reality. "Life happened."
And time was running out on hers.
Feeling a lump built up in her throat, Elena turned Damon's wrist, checking his watch. Two more hours to midnight.
Two.
Damon's body tensed underneath her, a deep sigh escaping his lips.
"What?" she asked, staring up into his blue eyes.
"He's here."
Before she could process that, Damon was up, pulling his clothes back on and handing her hers.
Just as she'd pulled her shirt back over her head, there was a knock on the door and after one last annoyed look, Damon let Alaric in.
"Hey, Elena," Alaric greeted a little awkwardly. The discarded blanket on the floor and their rummaged appearance no doubt gave away what they'd been doing right before he'd interrupted and as her teacher and her aunt's new boyfriend, he no doubt had conflicting feelings about it.
"You ready?" Alaric said, turning to Damon.
"Sure. One sec."
In a half jog, he made his way towards her, pulling her flush against him as he said, "I won't be late."
You'll be too late.
"Take your time," she said, surprised her voice wasn't shaking or giving anything away since inside, she was screaming. Screaming for him to stay, for her to tell him, tell him everything, let him safe the day. But she couldn't. She couldn't risk losing everyone just for a small chance she could be saved. Not this time. She knew what she had to do and she was going to do it, no matter what. She would protect those she loved.
"Keep the doors locked," he said, softly running his fingers over her collarbone. "Don't invite anyone in you don't know−"
"−Don't take candy from strangers and don't get in any dark vans with tinted windows," Alaric mocked. "She's not ten, Damon."
Damon didn't laugh, though. He kept his eyes glued to hers until she nodded, smiling weakly. "I won't let anyone in. I promise."
"Good," he smiled, sweetly grabbing her chin and pulling her face closer to his. "I love you."
He heart weeping, she whispered, "I love you."
And then, he kissed her. Sweetly. Briefly. Too briefly. All Elena wanted to do was clutch him to her and give him a kiss that held everything she felt for him. Every ounce of love, friendship, faith. She just wanted to kiss him a real goodbye. But she couldn't even do that. Not without raising his suspicion.
"Bye." And with that, he shut the door.
With that, he was gone.
And all Elena could do, was let him go.
"I'm going to regret this in the morning."
"Regrets are fun!" Damon said, filling Alaric's glass to the rim. "When you regret something, it means you've done it right."
Alaric laughed, finding his friend's strange sense of humor a breath of fresh air in Mystic Falls. There weren't a lot of people he could see himself having a good time with out there, but with Damon, he was never bored. And that's not something he'd see coming. He didn't even like Damon in the beginning, which is why he understood Jenna's objections about him hanging out with the oldest Salvatore. His new girlfriend didn't know Damon, went by rumors and thought he was a bad influence.
"Don't tell me auntie Jenna gave you a curfew," Damon said, reading his mind.
"No, but−"
"−she doesn't trust me."
"Not in the least."
"I never should've uncompelled her," Damon mumbled, finishing his own drink.
Alaric frowned. "What? You compelled her?"
"To like me, yes. I had to," Damon said like it was no big deal. "I had to get Elena out of the house and Jenna was standing in the way−"
"−so you compelled her?"
"Don't sound so shocked," he rumbled. "And I undid it a week later. Elena asked me to."
"And you listened."
Damon just shot him a typical Damon look and poured himself another drink.
"So, you and Jenna," Damon said, gesturing to the bartender to bring another bottle. "How's that going?"
"Good," Alaric admitted, a smile pulling at his lips when he thought of her. "Great, actually. You and Elena?"
"Good too."
"Great."
"Yeah, we're getting married."
Alaric almost choked on his drink, coughing as Damon smirked.
"Say what now?" he choked out, trying to read his friend's eyes.
"You heard me."
"You're getting married?"
"Yes."
"To Elena Gilbert?"
"Who else?"
"Did you ask her?"
"No," Damon gnarled, glaring. "I'm going to force her down the aisle and make her say I do, because that's what I do."
"OK," Alaric said, raising his glass as a peace offering. "I'm sorry."
Damon sat back, touching his drink to Alaric's. "It's OK. "
Alaric laughed.
"What?"
"Not so long ago, you would've snapped my neck at the accusation. Or at least someone's neck. She really softened you up, didn't she? Elena."
Damon sniffed. "No she didn't."
"OK," Alaric mumbled. "Whatever you say."
Damon shot him a little smile and that's all Alaric knew he'd get. Damon Salvatore would never admit he'd grown kinder, softer since he'd fallen in love with Elena, but Alaric suspected he knew all too well. He knew the influence the girl had on him, but did he know the influence he had on her. Over the last couple of months, Alaric had seen Elena grow into a more confident woman. A woman who had a strong voice, a strong opinion about things. A woman who didn't shy away from confrontation anymore, who wasn't afraid to believe in herself. And that right there was the truth many people weren't ready to face yet: Damon Salvatore had been the best thing that ever happened to Elena Gilbert.
"She's fine, Damon," Alaric laughed when the vampire checked his phone for the zillionth time that night. "Elena is fine."
"I know," he mumbled, taking another gulp from his drink. "I just hate leaving her alone."
"I noticed."
Damon smiled weakly, putting his phone away. "Yeah, Elena said."
Alaric frowned. "Elena said what?"
"That you felt neglected," Damon said, a mocking tone in his voice.
"Me?" Alaric laughed. Typical Damon, turning things around so he wouldn't lose face. "OK, fine, I'm the needy one. Whatever."
"Why are you saying it like that? You are the needy one. Elena told me you missed me, don't pretend it's not true."
"Oh, this is rich," Alaric snickered as Damon popped a chip in his mouth. "You're actually keeping it up?"
"Keeping what up?"
"Elena told me, Damon."
"Told you what?"
"That you missed me."
"What?" Damon growled, putting down the glass that was already halfway to his lips.
"She stayed behind after class today, told me you missed me, told me you were spending all your time at the house to keep her safe, but that you missed your friend. She said she felt−"
"−guilty."
"Yeah."
Alaric didn't understand why Damon didn't just give up the charade and admitted it at that point, but most of all, he didn't understand why Damon's face had suddenly lost all its color and his jaw had set in a way that looked unnatural.
"We need to go," the vampire suddenly growled, jumping up from his stool, throwing money on the counter.
"What?" Alaric asked, confused. "We just bought another bottle. Why do we−"
"Now!"
Damon was already halfway across The Grill before Alaric had so much as put his jacket back on. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Elena?!"
"Maybe she's out with−"
Before he could finish, Damon was a blur, searching the house.
She's not here, he thought, his mind frantic. She lied to me. She lied to Alaric. She wanted me out of the house. Why?
"Damon!"
Alaric's voice pulled him back to the living room. He was standing by the couch, holding a piece of paper in his hand and−
"Where did you get that?" Damon snapped, grabbing the ring from him, the ring he'd given to Elena only a few hours ago.
Alaric didn't say anything. Instead, he gave him the note he was holding, the note that had Elena's beautiful handwriting on it.
Damon stormed into The Grill, heading straight for the same table he'd been avoiding all night. The table in the corner of the room, by the fireplace, occupied by his least favorite people in the world.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Bonnie had been the first one to spot him, making Caroline, Tyler and Matt turn in their chairs, too. He could tell by their expressions he was their least favorite person in the world, too. But he didn't care. All he cared about, was Elena.
"Damon?" Caroline said in a confused voice when he reached them. "What are you doing her−"
"It's Elena," he growled, not wasting any time on chitchat. "She's in trouble."
"In trouble how?" Matt jumped in.
"She gave herself over to Hertz."
"What?" Bonnie hissed. "Why would she do that?"
"I don't know," Damon snapped.
And that was the truth. He'd been racking his brain for possible reasons as to why she'd just given up, why she'd just thrown away everything. Surely, she must've known handing herself over to Hertz would mean she'd die.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Tyler barked.
The anger inside Damon almost reached a breaking point at that. "I didn't feel like it," Damon growled, his blue eyes turning a shade darker. "So I just laid back and watched it happen!"
"Damon," Alaric warned behind him, picking up on his friend's fury. Alaric was one of the two people who actually knew him, so he knew how close he was to losing control and ripping those idiots in front of him apart.
"I wasn't there!" Damon barked, trying to pull himself together. "If I had been, there's no way in hell he would've taken her!"
"Wait," Matt said, frowning. "If you weren't there, then how do you know it was Hertz?"
"She left me this note," he said, slamming the piece of paper down on the table.
"I am sorry?" Tyler read aloud. "That's it? I am sorry?"
"And this," Damon added, his heart breaking as he put the ring on the note.
"What's that?" Caroline asked, clearly already knowing the answer. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice.
"Were you two engaged?" Matt asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes," Damon whispered. "We were. I asked her tonight."
The four humans around the table exchanged glances, glances that made the veins around Damon's eyes pop out.
"What?" he snarled.
"She left on the night you got engaged," Caroline said in a sweet voice Damon hadn't heard before. "She left the ring and a note that only says I am sorry."
"So?" Damon snapped.
"So," Caroline continued. "It sort of looks like−"
"She left you, man," Tyler finished.
Don't kill the humans.
Elena loves the humans.
Don't kill the humans.
"She didn't leave me," Damon hissed, shoving the note and ring back in his pocket.
"She's seventeen, Damon," Matt said. "And she always said she didn't want to marry young."
"She didn't want to marry you young, Mattie," Damon sniffed. "She told me about your cute little proposal when you two were barely sixteen. I guess she was waiting for a real man to come along."
"You son of a−"
"Hey!" Tyler cut him off. "Enough!"
Matt relaxed, but kept glaring at Damon, sitting back in his chair.
"Look," Tyler continued. "All signs point to Elena leaving you, Damon. I mean, what's more likely: her getting cold feet and taking off or her giving herself over to Hertz?"
"Believe me, I wish you were right! I wish she just left me and that she's safe, but I know her. I know Elena and−"
"We know Elena, too, Damon," Caroline said. "Better than you and I'm telling you−"
"Better than me?" Damon hissed, feeling himself lose control.
"Damon," Alaric said in a calm voice. "Calm−"
"BETTER THAN ME?" He wasn't listening to Alaric anymore. He couldn't. "Are you four freaking kidding me? You know her? You don't know shit about her! If you did, you never would've put her through what you put her through! Elena loved you! All of you! She still loves you! And she hurts every single day because of it! And there's nothing I can do! It was up to you four idiots to make her feel better! But you never came! You never once called, never once stopped by The Boarding House! You just ignored her! Even at school! And why? Because of me? Because she loves me? Because I love her? If any of you had taken a few minutes out of your otherwise useless days and made some effort to stop by, you would've seen that we are perfect together! That we are happy! Why is that so hard to believe? Why wouldn't you want that for her?"
"Because you'll hurt her! You're Damon Salvatore!"
"And you're Caroline Forbes, the vampire!" he snapped at the blond. "And your boyfriend is Tyler Lockwood, the werewolf! And your best friends are Bonnie Bennett, the witch and Matt Donovan, the quarterback, which, by the way, is the worst label of all! What does it matter who I am? I LOVE HER!"
"OK, enough," Bonnie said, jumping up from her chair. It was only then that Damon realized the witch almost hadn't spoken.
"You're right," Caroline said. "This is ridiculous. Damon, she left you and when she shows her face again−"
"No," Bonnie snapped before Damon could. "I mean, enough out of you three."
Damon frowned at the witch who was now staring at him, her chin raised determined.
"I lost her once because I didn't listen to you. I'm not going to lose her again. If you say she's in trouble, I believe you."
Damon nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
"We need to stop by my house," Bonnie said, grabbing her purse. " I need some things to do a locater spell. And I'm going to need that ring."
"God, that stuff smells."
"I know," Bonnie said, crushing the herbs between her fingers as Damon drove up to the Boarding House. "But we need it."
"As opposed to them," he snarled, checking the review mirror. Caroline's car was still behind them, in it Caroline, Tyler, Matt and Alaric.
"They want to help."
"They want to feel better."
Bonnie sighed. "Believe this or not, we missed her too, Damon."
"Yeah, well, she's Elena. How can you not miss her?"
Bonnie smiled at that, getting out of the car. The sky above was showing the first signs of the sun breaking through, flames of orange mixing in with the darkness and the stars. As a witch, she was connected to nature more intensely than normal humans and sights like that actually warmed her insides, filled her with power.
"You can set up here," Damon said, walking her to the living room.
"OK," she said, spreading out a map on the wooden coffee table. "Now all I need is her ring and silence."
Damon put the ring in front of her, standing right behind the witch as she murmured Latin over the crystal pendulum she was swinging back and forth.
"Seriously, this is one awesome house man," Tyler boomed as he walked in. "How much did this cost?"
"More than you could afford, Ty," Matt laughed, coming in after him.
"You don't know that," Caroline said, stepping aside so Alaric could walk through the door. "Maybe one day we could move into something like−"
"Shut up!" Damon yelled when Bonnie sighed. "We're busy here, so if you wouldn't mind−"
"If you wouldn't mind−" Caroline cut him off. "I would really like it if you invited me in."
"Sorry, Blondie," Damon growled. "If this was still my house, you wouldn't even need an invitation, but this is Elena's house now. Only she can invite you in."
"Great," Caroline sighed, pushing against the invisible wall that kept her out on the porch. "I'll just hang here, then."
"She's definitely not in Mystic Falls anymore," Bonnie said, forcing all the attention back to her. "He took her somewhere else."
"Doesn't matter," Damon rumbled. "I can get anywhere fast. Just find her and I'll save her."
"I'm working on it," the witch said as the crystal started swinging in larger circles. "Come on, Elena. Talk to me."
"If you find her, I'm coming," Tyler said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Lockwood−" Damon started.
"Lockwood, nothing," Tyler snapped. "I'm just as fast as you and one little bite from me will take this Hertz-guy out. I'm coming."
"So am I, by the way," Caroline said, waving.
"Fine," Damon sighed. "But if you two slow me down, I'll snap your necks."
"Deal," Caroline sang.
"What the−" Bonnie whispered, shaking her hand.
"What?" Damon asked, his heart dropping.
"I don't get it," Bonnie mumbled.
"Don't get what, witch?"
"The crystal−"
His stomach knotting together, he looked over her shoulder, seeing the crystal hang right underneath her hand, motionless. "I don't understand−"
"Uhm, guys−"
"Not now, Caroline!" Damon barked. "What does this mean, Bonnie?"
"I have no clue. This never happened before. Maybe I need another personal object. A picture or something."
"Damon−"
"I can get you a picture," Damon said, ignoring the blond vampire again. "I can get you a dozen pictures. How many−"
"Damon, please−"
"What, Caroline?" he yelled, turning.
Turning to find Caroline standing right beside him.
"How did you get in?" His heart answered the question his mind refused to accept. "No."
Caroline's eyes were filled with tears, a few trickling down her cheeks. "Damon, I−"
"HOW DID YOU GET IN?"
No one answered. Instead, the room went deadly silent. Numb, Damon sank down on the couch, his eyes glazed over, his mind and body shutting down. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Not again.
She wasn't dead.
Hey guys! What did you think! Obviously, this is 'just' a filler chapter before the next one, but I tried to make it exciting! Please, let me know! I love your reviews! And just so you know, we're about two (or even one) chapter away from the end! So don't quite on me now!
xxxLustAndLove